Hosea & His Harlot
HOSEA AND HIS HARLOT
__________________
A Paper
Presented to
Dr. Greg Smith
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
__________________
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for BIB 1203-B
__________________
by
Brandon Graham
April 20, 2012
HOSEA AND HIS HARLOT “CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE?!? Would the WHORE who intends to be unfaithful to her husband and desires to please her flesh, despite her covenant marriage to her husband, please step forward?!” This may not be an exact quote, but it is certainly the idea God intended for his prophet, Hosea. Hosea was the man God chose to deliver a message to the northern tribes. This message would be like no other message in history. God told Hosea to take a “woman of whoredom”, named Gomer and make her his wife (Hos. 1:2). This relationship will demonstrate how all of Israel has forsaken YHWH. If this wasn’t enough, God called Hosea to father children with the harlot. One of the primary debates surrounding the text is whether or not Gomer was a prostitute before she was married to Hosea and if she already had children. This may seem insignificant, but it has huge implications on the theology of the rest of the book. In chapters 1-3, we hear of children whom God refers to as not being of Him and children who are. There is more debate surrounding how many children were actually involved. Were there 2 different sets of children or one set whose names were changed upon the marriage and subsequent adoption by Hosea? This paper will seek to explore these different questions. In the first section, Hosea’s marriage itself will be fleshed out. Questions will be answered and evidence given to prove that Gomer was an active prostitute when she met and married Hosea. This evidence will be given through surveying the arguments that surround the marriage. Once this basis is established, section two will delve into the theological implications this marriage brings forth. Questions
__________________
A Paper
Presented to
Dr. Greg Smith
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
__________________
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for BIB 1203-B
__________________
by
Brandon Graham
April 20, 2012
HOSEA AND HIS HARLOT “CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE?!? Would the WHORE who intends to be unfaithful to her husband and desires to please her flesh, despite her covenant marriage to her husband, please step forward?!” This may not be an exact quote, but it is certainly the idea God intended for his prophet, Hosea. Hosea was the man God chose to deliver a message to the northern tribes. This message would be like no other message in history. God told Hosea to take a “woman of whoredom”, named Gomer and make her his wife (Hos. 1:2). This relationship will demonstrate how all of Israel has forsaken YHWH. If this wasn’t enough, God called Hosea to father children with the harlot. One of the primary debates surrounding the text is whether or not Gomer was a prostitute before she was married to Hosea and if she already had children. This may seem insignificant, but it has huge implications on the theology of the rest of the book. In chapters 1-3, we hear of children whom God refers to as not being of Him and children who are. There is more debate surrounding how many children were actually involved. Were there 2 different sets of children or one set whose names were changed upon the marriage and subsequent adoption by Hosea? This paper will seek to explore these different questions. In the first section, Hosea’s marriage itself will be fleshed out. Questions will be answered and evidence given to prove that Gomer was an active prostitute when she met and married Hosea. This evidence will be given through surveying the arguments that surround the marriage. Once this basis is established, section two will delve into the theological implications this marriage brings forth. Questions
Bibliography: Achtemeier, Elizabeth. "Theological Message of Hosea : Its Preaching Values." Review & Expositor 72, no. 4 (1975): 473-485. Anderson, George Wishart. "Hosea and Yahweh : God 's Love Story (Hosea 1-3)." Review & Expositor 72, no. 4 (1975): 425-436. Kidner, Derek. The Message of Hosea : Love to the Loveless The Bible Speaks Today. Leicester, England ; Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.A.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1981. Knight, George Angus Fulton. Hosea; Introduction and Commentary Torch Bible Commentaries. London,: SCM Press, 1960. Mays, James Luther. Hosea, a Commentary The Old Testament Library. Philadelphia,: Westminster Press, 1969. [ 2 ]. George Wishart Anderson, "Hosea and Yahweh : God 's Love Story (Hosea 1-3)," Review & Expositor 72, no. 4 (1975). [ 4 ]. George Angus Fulton Knight, Hosea; Introduction and Commentary, Torch Bible Commentaries (London,: SCM Press, 1960), 20-21. [ 6 ]. Derek Kidner, The Message of Hosea : Love to the Loveless, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England ; Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.A.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1981), 24. [ 7 ]. Elizabeth Achtemeier, "Theological Message of Hosea : Its Preaching Values," Review & Expositor 72, no. 4 (1975): 480. [ 8 ]. James Luther Mays, Hosea, a Commentary, The Old Testament Library (Philadelphia,: Westminster Press, 1969), 57.